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Footprints Under the Window (revised text)
For the original version of this book, see Footprints Under the Window (original text). Footprints Under the Window is the twelfth volume in the Original series. It was first issued in 1933, but the text and artwork were revised and updated in 1965. The book was published by Grosset & Dunlap and produced by the Stratemeyer Syndicate. Plot summary While waiting for their Aunt Gertrude to return from her holiday in South America, Frank and Joe Hardy rescue an apparent stowaway when he plunges from the deck of a freighter into Barmet Bay. The man seems grateful but quickly disappears when they reach dry land and are confronted by a man claiming to be an immigration officer. Meanwhile, Micro-Eye Industries, Bayport's large photographic plant, are having trouble keeping spies at bay while they develop a secret project for the US government. The boys become convinced that the two cases are linked when a US Intelligence agent informs them that they believe the spies come from the same part of the world as their stowaway. When Orrin North a local shipping magnate hires the boys to find the stowaway from his ship, they become suspicious and soon discover that he is secretly in communication with the spies. A series of Bayport residents become the victims of luggage thefts while holidaying in Cayenne, causing the Hardys to suspect a link to the spy ring. When one of these tourists goes missing, they set course for French Guiana to investigate with their friend Chet. Failing to find the missing man, the boys head to Baredo in the unfriendly Huella Islands where the dictator, Juan Posada is suspected of ordering his spies to target the Micro-Eye project. There they discover a group of rebels who are trying to smuggle their fellows out of the oppressive country, supposedly with the help of Orrin North! It transpires that their stowaway, Gomez is a member of this group who was sent to America to rally support and discover why none of the other escapees have made contact. Having exposed North's treachery to the underground movement, they head home to search for the missing refugees. Returning to Bayport, Frank, Joe and Chet discover the spies' hideout in a North family tomb in an out-of-town cemetery. They overhear a plan to steal the Micro-Eye project and sell it to a foreign power but before they can spring into action they are captured and taken to an old wrecked North Lines ship in nearby Cobblewave Cove. There they befriend Gomez and discover the other refugees, bound and unable to escape. They are locked in a flooding chamber on the ship and left to die. However, they escape with the help of their father, Fenton who has been working on the case undercover in Bayport all along. Together they race to the Micro-Eye plant where the theft of the secret device, a satellite camera, is to take place. They arrive in time to see the plant surrounded by smoke and the spies escaping with the camera. Chasing the gang to the harbor, they switch to the Sleuth when they hit the water and eventually help the coastguard bring in the criminals, rescuing the device and finally bringing the spies to justice. Appearances Characters *Regulars **Chief Collig **Fenton Hardy **Frank Hardy **Joe Hardy **Laura Hardy **Chet Morton **Mr. Morton **Tony Prito **Mr. Prito **Oscar Smuff *Manuel Bedoya, head of the Footprints spy ring *Mrs. Berter, Gertrude Hardy's travelling companion *Captain Burne, captain of the Dorado *Miguel Colombo, leader of the Huellan underground *Mr. Crothers, United States Intelligence *Decker, pilot of Orrin North's yacht *Roy Dykeman, United States Intelligence *Gale, a Footprints gang member *Greber, a Footprints gang member *Gomez, a stowaway on the Dorado *Alice Griffin, an American tourist in Cayenne *Mr. Griffin, an American tourist in Cayenne *Jose, a Footprints gang member *Agent Kyle, United States Intelligence plainclothesman *Luis, a Huellan refugee *Raymond Martin, Voyager customer *Agent Miller, United States Intelligence plainclothesman *Musco, a Footprints gang member *Orrin North, owner of North Lines *Pedro, a Huellan refugee *Juan Posada, dictator of Baredo *Pryce, a Micro-Eye technician *Sam Radley, Fenton's assistant *Al Raker, a Footprints gang member *Mr. Ricardo, a tourist on board the Capricorn *Rodriguez, a Footprints gang member *Sandy, a beachcomber *Carlos Santilla, member of the Huellan underground *Mr. Scott, a young immigration officer *Mr. and Mrs. Taylor, a couple from Harpertown *Valdez, a Footprints gang member *Walton, a Footprints gang member *Jack Wayne, charter pilot Locations *Bayport **Bayport harbor ***Customs and Immigration departments **Bayport airport **Bay Street **The Hardy home **North Manor **James North's Tomb *Cobblewave Cove **Barren Sands *French Guiana **Cayenne *Harpertown *The Huella Islands **Baredo **Edificio Administratión de las Huellas (Huellas Government Building) *Oak Hollow *Puerto Rico **San Juan *Taylorville Businesses and organizations *Bayport Police Deparment *Coast Guard *Corporated Laundries *Footprints, a South American spy conspiracy *Micro-Eye Industries *North Lines *United States Customs and Immigration *United States Intelligence *Voyager Travel Bureau Other *41, a fishing trawler *The Atlantis, the wreck of a North Lines ship *The Capricorn, a North Lines passenger ship *Frank and Joe's convertible *The Dorado, a North Lines freighter *The Napoli *The Northerly, Orrin North's yacht *The Skyhappy Sal, Jack Wayne's plane *The Sleuth Notes *During the 1970s, Footprints Under The Window was published in Israel using the revised Grosset & Dunlap cover artwork. However, starting in 1992, the cover art was changed to a Norman Rockwell painting of an American astronaut leaving a moon vehicle and taking a step onto the moon. For both the 1970s and the 1990s versions the internal artwork was the same as the Grosset & Dunlap edition. See also References Category:Books Category:Original books